Stepping into the heart of Ethiopia’s pursuit of justice and gender equality, Meaza Ashenafi emerges as a distinguished voice and catalyst for change.
Born on July 25, 1964, in Asosa—then part of Gojjam Province—Meaza was raised in a large, devoted family where her parents instilled values of honesty, fairness, and perseverance in a setting where her mother, despite lacking formal schooling, emphasized the importance of education and strength of character .
At just 17, she defied societal expectations and became the sole woman in her law class at Addis Ababa University, graduating in 1986.
Her early career included a position at the Ministry of Trade, followed by her appointment as a judge on the Federal High Court’s Criminal Bench from 1989 to 1992.
It was during this period that she confronted the stark reality of systemic legal discrimination against women, setting her on a path toward transformative reform .
Her voice soon resonated within the foundational legal architecture of her country, as she served as legal adviser to the Ethiopian Constitution Commission, contributing to the drafting of the 1995 constitution with a focus on the protection of women’s and children’s rights.
Recognizing that legal reform must be accompanied by accessible advocacy, Meaza co-founded the Ethiopian Women Lawyers Association (EWLA) in 1995 and served as its Executive Director for eight years.
Under her leadership, EWLA pioneered legal aid services for marginalized women across Ethiopia through pro bono clinics and empowered paralegals, representing more than 100,000 women during her tenure.
One emblematic moment of her legal advocacy was the groundbreaking defense of a 14-year-old girl who had been abducted to be forced into marriage and who, in her desperate act of self-defense, killed her abductor.
Meaza’s defense led to a precedent-setting ruling that outlawed the harmful tradition of bride abduction in Ethiopia—a battle immortalized in the internationally acclaimed film Difret, executive produced by Angelina Jolie, which won an Audience Award at the Sundance Film Festival.
Beyond her courtroom impact, Meaza’s visionary spirit extended into economic empowerment.
She was a key founder—and served as board chair—of Enat Bank, Ethiopia’s first women’s bank, created to provide financial access and support women entrepreneurs and underserved communities .
Her influence also reached continental levels. From 2012 to 2018, Meaza served as an adviser on gender and women’s rights with the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (UNECA), helping shape policy frameworks across Africa .
In a historic ascent that marked a milestone for both gender and judicial reform, Meaza was appointed in November 2018 as the first female President (Chief Justice) of Ethiopia’s Federal Supreme Court, serving until her resignation in January 2023.
She embraced this role not as symbolic, but as substantive—dedicated to restoring public trust in the judiciary, promoting impartiality, strengthening rule of law, and increasing gender parity among judges, including appointing six women to the Supreme Court in 2019 alone .
International recognition followed.
Meaza has been awarded for her unwavering advocacy and leadership—including the African Leadership Prize by the Hunger Project, the Women of Courage Award from the U.S., a Nobel Peace Prize nomination, and listing among the 100 Most Influential African Women .
Her life is a living narrative: from courtroom battles to constitutional frameworks, from eradicating harmful traditions to building institutions rooted in equity.
Meaza Ashenafi stands as an unparalleled architect of inclusive justice in Ethiopia and across Africa—channeling courage into law, law into empowerment, and empowerment into systemic transformation.
